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You can shoot pigeons with a .410 but need to be a good shot as the pattern is a lot smaller than that of something like a 12 bore, iv done rough shooting and shot pigeon at close range with a .410 single barrel bolt action so yes a .410 is capable for pigeon but usually if decoying a long barrelled 12 or 20bore would be more suitable. If thats any help.

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That all i used when growing up, was a 410 shot every thing from pigeons,crows, squirrels, rabbits to stoats weasel and even moles, there brilliant, I still shoot better with it now than i do the 12 bore

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My first shotgun was a .410. Shot lots of pigeons with it and did a bit of driven phesant shooting on beaters days when i was starting out. Nice little gun, light and quick to shoot. There are 3" cartridges available which give it a little more poke but still a short range gun. Fun for roost shoting pigeons if flighting into low trees and stalking rabbits / bolt shooting to ferrets

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Depending on how well placed the shot is a .410 will kill with ease at 40 yards. I would consider normal working range for this gun to be around 25 yards,however.

And as for pigeons, they are a very soft feathered bird and will drop with a well placed shot from a .410. A saying I always stick to when I consider if a cartridge will kill things is that if it can drop a very hard feathered bird like the Carrion Crow, then it will drop anything, I have dropped many a Crow with the .410.

Before the ban on lead shot, Duck used to be dropped regularly on the flight pond with my .410.

Get some practice in first on clays, to get yourself acquainted with the small pattern and then get the decoys out.